Knowle Score Nine to Claim Top Spot

George Revell reports as Knowle preserve their outstanding record and march into first place…

Knowle climbed to the summit of Midland Football League Division One with an incredible 9-0 demolition of Allexton & New Parks at the Draintech Community Stadium.

Early goals from George Seeley and Hayden Purves set the Robins on their way before two quick-fire spot-kicks from Brady Floyd and Connor Mort put Knowle in a very commanding position at half-time.  Floyd added another after the break before four late finishes from MD Shimul put the gloss - if it wasn’t there already - on a superb Knowle performance.

Knowle have now won each and every one of their last 15 league matches, and a common theme in those victories is their ability to start fast. Nothing changed here, with Seeley helping them to a 12th-minute lead.  The striker charged towards goal and rounded visiting goalkeeper Austin Parish before prodding into an open net.  The Robins’ top scorer forced Parish into a fantastic diving stop four minutes later, too.  Floyd drove 50 yards down the right channel before pulling back for Seeley, who arrowed a shot towards the top-left corner which Parish did extremely well to keep out.

Parish couldn’t stop Knowle from doubling their lead in the 20th minute, though.  Seeley’s wicked right-wing corner was met by Floyd, who found the net with a powerful header that Parish could do nothing about despite getting a hand to it.

Toby Scott then came off worse in a collision with Dany Quaglia on 37 minutes, and after receiving treatment, he made way for Talib Copeland.  It didn’t take long for Copeland to make an impact.  Just seven minutes after coming on, Ashley Jones - who should have known better - brought the skilful winger down in the penalty area, and Purves rifled the resulting spot-kick into the top-left corner.

You would have expected Jones to learn from the first challenge, but he again brought down Copeland in the box to gift-wrap Knowle another penalty in first-half stoppage time. Mort neatly slotted home to give the Robins a four-goal advantage going in at the break.  Christmas had come early for the Robins and Jones was providing the presents - the Allexton man was given a second yellow for the challenge to heap the misery upon his team.

There was no change in tempo after half-time and Knowle almost had a fifth inside 52 minutes.  Mort’s teasing through ball was smartly flicked on by Floyd before reaching Purves, who couldn’t quite guide his low effort past Parish.

It was Parish who presented Knowle with their next chance when his poor goal kick dropped straight to Copeland.  The lively winger skipped in and out of defenders before a loose ball reached Shimul, who leaned back and fired inches over the crossbar.

Knowle did have a fifth in the 59th minute though, and it was one of the simplest goals Floyd will ever score.  Seeley worked the ball across the penalty area before it deflected off Parish into Floyd’s path, leaving him with a tap-in from three yards.  Knowle were already five up - and it could easily have been more - and not even Shimul himself could have predicted the half-hour that would follow.

You could probably forgive Shimul for his earlier miss if you knew he was about to score four goals in the space of 25 minutes.

His first - and Knowle’s sixth - came on 62 minutes after Copeland found space down the left to square into a jam-packed penalty area.  Shimul collected and set himself before unleashing a left-footed strike into the bottom-left corner.

Knowle should have had another penalty eight minutes later when Copeland was forced to the floor.  The onrushing Parish wiped out the Knowle man - who was clean through on goal - surely out of pure frustration, but the referee waved play on and awarded a goal kick. Copeland had every right to feel hard done by.

Shimul made it seven in the 79th minute and nobody watching could argue they didn’t deserve it.  A delightful cross-field ball from Dylon Bennett reached Mort down the right, who cut back for Shimul to smash into the roof of the net.  The winger was having plenty of fun at this point, and he rounded Parish before confidently tapping home to complete his hat-trick just five minutes after scoring his second.

Shimul added his fourth in style on 86 minutes.  Substitute Odane Barnes laid the ball off and Shimul simply had to side-foot into the gaping goal for Knowle’s ninth of the afternoon.

The Robins couldn’t quite find that magic 10, but it was a game to remember for everyone in attendance.

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